How To Buy Clothes

How does a person buy clothes? Do you buy whatever on sale? Or just go on spending binges every couple of months? Do most of your clothes fit? No? Well I’m here to tell you that whatever you’ve been doing is wrong. Buying clothes isn’t easy, nor should you think it should be easy. It’s hard and exhausting but once you find the clothes that fit you right, are the correct price point and will go with the rest of your wardrobe, it will be worth it. You’ll have that item in your closet until it disintegrates.

The first step to buying clothes is to clean out the clothes you already have. See my ‘How to Clean out your Closet’ page for a step by step process of sorting your clothes and getting rid of clutter.

Alright, you’ve cleaned out your closet and there are some items that are missing. That’s alright, that just means you have to go shopping (yay!).

First step – Make a list and set a budget.

Make a list of all the clothes you need. Be it socks or jeans, next to each item you need make a list of criteria that it needs to be. Like for me, I only wear high waisted jeans and I need a pair in a dark wash and a light wash. If you create this criteria, it will help you clear your mind while you’re shopping and allow you to focus on what you need, not what catches your eye.

Stick to your budget and be realistic. Do you need 5 pairs of jeans but can only spend 100 dollars? Realistically you can only buy 2 pairs of decent quality. Buy two of the most needed jeans and wait until you have more money to buy the other 3 jeans. Don’t buy something cheap because not only will they wear out quickly, and you will have to re-buy them again in 6 months, which in the end costs more money.

Second Step – Go shopping and try the clothes on

I don’t understand how people go shopping and buy clothes without trying them on. They would rather try them on at home and then return them later if they don’t fit. That is such a waste of time, I don’t understand how someone would willingly go back to the mall if they didn’t have to.

So you’re in the mall, sticking to your list and your budget. You’ve collected some of the items that you need and you’re going to try them on. For each item you try on, follow these guidelines.

It must fit. Really fit, not kinda fits my butt but it’s to short in the legs. Finding items that fit is worth the search because you’re going to wear it constantly and don’t have to plan your outfit around what you can and can’t do in those jeans.

Is it easy to pair with the rest of your clothes. For example, a lot of my tops are crop tops, I need high-rise jeans for most of my shirts to work, it doesn’t make sense for me to buy low-rise jeans if they don’t work with most of my closet and I’ll probably never wear them, which in the end is a waste of money and space.

Can I dress it up or down? This isn’t mandatory but more of a piece of advice for those who really want to save closet space and have a very efficient wardrobe. Try to find items that fit this criteria but don’t let it weigh you down.

Finding clothes that really fit you is crucial, you’re an adult now (or becoming one soon) and finding clothes that fit you and your body is somewhat expected. It’s one of the lessons you learn when you learn how to apply a credit card and pay taxes. Some people never bother to figure this out and like their convenience, but since you’re reading this I know that you are willing to put in the effort to look good.